System and method for shipping and delivering parcels to a virtual address

ABSTRACT

A computer-based system and method for shipping and delivering a parcel, including reserving a terminal for a parcel; placing the parcel in the terminal, the parcel having a virtual delivery address of a recipient; picking up the parcel by a carrier; converting, through a central computer system, the virtual address into a postal address; delivering the parcel to a destination terminal drop-box corresponding to the postal address; notifying the recipient of the delivery of the parcel; and unlocking the drop-box only upon verifying the recipient&#39;s identity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims priority from U.S. provisionalpatent application Nos. 60/758,475 and 60/758,498, both filed Jan. 12,2006, the contents of both applications being incorporated herein byreference, in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Postal systems have existed in all human civilizations as a standardizedand efficient way to enable transportation of items of limited size andweight (letters and packages) between individuals and institutions.Focusing on parcel delivery and disregarding mail and also referring toFIGS. 1 and 7, a typical postal transaction includes the following: asending party (“sender” 700); an object to be transported (“parcel”); apostal service organization (“carrier” 704); a receiving party(“recipient” 706); a standardized format used by the recipient to informthe sender of the location where the parcel should be transported to(“address”). Usually a parcel postal method occurs as follows: thesender 700 desiring to ship a parcel inscribes the recipient's addresson the parcel and then hands the parcel off to the carrier 704, oftenafter traveling a significant distance to take the parcel to the nearestcarrier's terminal 702. The carrier 704 can be the U.S. Postal Service,the United Parcel Service, Federal Express, or the like. The terminal702 can be a carrier's drop-point or office, or can be a drop box. Ifthe carrier 704 is not open for business when the sender 700 arrives,the sender 700 may have to return home and try again at a later time ordate. If the carrier 704 is open, then a financial transaction isconducted whereby the sender 700 pays in advance for shipping anddelivering the parcel. The carrier 704, based on the information encodedin the address, transports the parcel to the recipient's deliverylocation and attempts delivery. More recently the carriers 704 havebegun to offer a service where they travel to the sender's address topick up the parcel for shipping. However, this method is very manpowerintensive and requires either that the sender 700 be available at theaddress for a large window of time or that an expensive fee is levied onthe sender 700 if a smaller window is desired.

Postal addresses typically include the recipient's name, organization(if applicable), and information about the physical location of thedelivery destination, such as street, street number, unit or apartmentnumber (if applicable), city, state, and optionally nation. Suchinformation can also be encoded in standardized alphanumericalrepresentations, such as a zip code or postal code, which simplify thedelivery method and allow for better error correction. Postal addressesare typically inscribed using both human-readable and machine-readableforms through the use of a variety of encoding techniques, such as barcodes. If a recipient 706 has more than one possible delivery location,one address is required for each delivery location. For example, arecipient 706 might have a “home address” for her residence and an“office address” for her business. Under conventional, or legacy,shipping and delivery systems, the sender 700 must provide a singledelivery address at the time the parcel is dropped off with the carrier704 and/or at the terminal 702.

Focusing on the last segment of the delivery chain and referring also toFIG. 2, current parcel delivery services suffer from many potentialproblems, especially when dealing with residential (i.e. non-business)recipients 706. These problems include, but are not limited to:

The recipient 706 might not be available when delivery is attempted, fora variety of reasons. With residential deliveries, since the parcelsarrive during business hours, often the recipient 706 is at work insteadof being at home. Additionally, the recipient 706 might be temporarilyelsewhere, or the recipient 706 might have moved to a new address andfailed to notify such action to the sender 700 and/or the carrier 704.As a result, the delivery has to be attempted again until the recipient706 is found or for a limited number of times, as shown in steps216-222. Alternatively or consequently, the parcel can be returned tothe sender 700 as in step 224, or the parcel can be left on the exteriorof recipient's premises, thus endangering the security, privacy andreliability of the transaction. All these problems cause extra costs tothe carrier 704 and potential inconvenience or damage to the recipient706.

Even if the recipient 706 is present, the time required to complete thedelivery can fluctuate widely. Both its average length and the varianceof this length are a source of cost and complexity for carriers 704.Particularly in the case of a residential (i.e. non-business) recipient706, these problems are normally exacerbated by the limited numbers ofparcels dropped at each location and by the long average distancetraveled by carriers 704 to reach the recipient's premises.

Additional delivery services such as “signature for reception” and “cashon delivery” are extremely expensive for carriers 704 and inconvenientfor recipients 706 because they are synchronous; i.e., in order tocomplete such services and effect delivery, the carrier's agent and therecipient 706 must be in the same place at the same time. Analogous (butinverse) problems exist when focusing on the first segment of the postalchain. The shipping method usually taxes the sender 700 with tediousactivities such as going to a “shipping point” 702 (i.e. a post officeor a retail store operated by a private carrier or a shared drop-boxplaced on the territory) or waiting for a scheduled pick-up.

As described above, a postal address embeds one single deliverypreference of the recipient 706 and clearly discloses the physicallocation of the preferred delivery destination. Because of thischaracteristic, postal addresses suffer from a variety of limitationsthat cannot be directly overcome. For example:

If a recipient 706 has multiple addresses, the recipient 706 must informthe sender 700 about the one address that should be used for eachshipment. If the physical location of one delivery destination changes,the recipient 706 must inform all potential senders 700 by issuing a newaddress. For example, if a user moves to a new residence, she mustinform all potential senders 700 by giving them a new “home address.” Inorder to enable a sender 700 to ship, a recipient 706 must reveal thephysical location of the delivery destination. For example, if arecipient 706 wants to have a mail piece delivered to her residence, shemust disclose the physical location of her residence (e.g. by giving her“home address” to the sender 700). Once a sender 700 knows therecipient's address, the recipient 706 can not prevent the sender 700from shipping a parcel to the recipient 706. The recipient 706 might beable to reject a letter or parcel, but the item has first to betransported all the way to the delivery destination.

SUMMARY

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a computer-based method forshipping and delivering a parcel, including reserving a terminal for aparcel; placing the parcel in the terminal, the parcel having a virtualdelivery address of a recipient; picking up the parcel by a carrier;converting, through a central computer system, the virtual address intoa postal address; delivering the parcel to a destination terminaldrop-box corresponding to the postal address; notifying the recipient ofthe delivery of the parcel; and unlocking the drop-box only uponverifying the recipient's identity.

Alternate embodiments provide a method for shipping a parcel, includingreserving a terminal for placing a parcel to be shipped; accessing aterminal for placing the parcel; securing the parcel in the terminal;automatically notifying a carrier that the parcel has been placed in theterminal for pick up and shipment; picking up, by the carrier, theparcel from the terminal; scanning the parcel at the terminal; sending anotification that the carrier has picked up the parcel from theterminal; computing an estimated time of arrival of the parcel at adestination; transporting the parcel to a destination terminal based ona virtual address; securing the parcel to the destination terminal; andnotifying a recipient that the parcel is available for pick up.

An additional embodiment is also directed to a method for delivering aparcel to a user, including reserving a terminal drop-box for receivinga parcel to be delivered; identifying the carrier at the terminal;identifying the parcel to be delivered at the terminal; automaticallyopening the drop-box based on the identification of the parcel; securingthe parcel in the opened drop-box; and automatically notifying therecipient of the receipt of the parcel at the terminal.

A further embodiment is directed to a method for transporting a parcel,including reserving a drop-box at a terminal; identifying a valid senderto access the reserved drop-box, whereby the sender can place a parcelin the drop-box; identifying a valid carrier to access the reserveddrop-box, whereby the carrier can pick-up the parcel; communicating tothe sender that the parcel has been picked up; transporting the parcelto a destination terminal according to a virtual address on the parcel;identifying a valid carrier to access the destination terminal, wherebythe carrier can place the parcel at the destination terminal;communicating to a recipient that the parcel has been delivered; andidentifying the valid recipient to access the drop-box, whereby therecipient can pick up the parcel.

Another embodiment is directed to a system for shipping and deliveringparcels, including a processor configured to control the shipping anddelivering of one or more parcels; a terminal for receiving a parcel tobe shipped; one or more boxes within each terminal for securing one ormore parcels being shipped, each box having a locking door; a lockingkey for securing the parcel in the box; a scanner for identifying theparcel; a control unit for communicating with the processor and with theboxes; and a central computer system for notifying senders, carriers,and recipients the status of the parcel during the parcel'stransportation from the sender to the recipient.

Exemplary embodiments are also directed to a terminal for securingparcels to be shipped and delivered, including one or more drop-boxes,each drop-box comprising a space for receiving one or more parcels; adoor for securing the space against unauthorized access; a sensor forrecognizing when a parcel has been placed in the space; and a lockingdevice for securing the door against unauthorized opening; a scanningdevice for identifying a parcel; a user interface for identifying asender, a carrier, or a recipient seeking to access a drop-box; and acommunications device for communicating with a central computer system.

Alternative embodiments provide a computer system encoded with computersoftware, which, when executed by a computer, provide for the shipmentand delivery of a parcel, wherein the computer software is provided forreserving a terminal for a parcel, the parcel having the virtual addressof a recipient; notifying a carrier that the parcel has been placed inthe terminal; converting, through a central computer system, the virtualaddress into a postal address; computing, based on the virtual address,the transportation of the parcel to a destination terminal drop-box;notifying the recipient of the delivery of the parcel to the destinationterminal drop-box; and unlocking the destination drop-box only uponverifying the recipient's identity.

An additional embodiment is also directed to a computer-based system forshipping and delivering a parcel to a recipient, including means forreserving a drop-box at a terminal for receiving a parcel to be shippedto a recipient, the parcel having a virtual address; means for lockingthe drop-box after the parcel has been placed therein; means fornotifying a carrier that the parcel is ready for pick up for shipping;means for notifying a central computer system that the parcel has beenpicked up by the carrier; means for translating the virtual address to atraditional address; means for instructing the transportation of theparcel to the traditional address; and means for notifying the recipientthat the parcel is available for pick up at a terminal corresponding tothe traditional address.

A further embodiment is directed to an entity-relationship databasestructure, including a delivery options table; a recipients table; ablack-list table; an address table; and a senders table, wherein thetables of the database structure interact to control delivery of aparcel from a sender to a recipient.

Another embodiment is directed to a computer-based method for shipping aparcel, including receiving a parcel for shipment to a recipient, theparcel having a virtual address; converting the virtual address into apostal address; transporting the parcel to a destination terminal basedon the postal address; securing the parcel in the destination terminal;and notifying the recipient that the parcel is available for pick up.

Exemplary embodiments are also directed to a computer-based method forshipping a parcel, including reserving a terminal for a parcel; securingthe parcel in the terminal; automatically notifying a carrier that theparcel is ready for pick up; picking up the parcel from the securedterminal by use of a digital unlocking key; automatically notifying asender that the parcel has been picked up; and transporting the parcelto a delivery address.

Alternate embodiments are directed to a computer-based method fordelivering a parcel, including receiving a parcel for shipment to arecipient, the parcel having a virtual delivery address; converting thevirtual delivery address into a postal address; transporting the parcelto a destination terminal based on the postal address; securing theparcel in the destination terminal; and notifying the recipient that theparcel is available for pick up.

An additional embodiment is directed to a computer-based method forshipping and delivering a parcel, including reserving, by a sender, aterminal for a parcel, wherein the parcel is to be picked up by arecipient; locking the parcel in the terminal; automatically notifyingthe recipient, through a central computer system, that the parcel hasbeen secured in the terminal; and picking up the parcel from theterminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide visual representations which will beused to more fully describe the representative embodiments disclosedherein and can be used by those skilled in the art to better understandthem and their inherent advantages. In these drawings, like referencenumerals identify corresponding elements and:

FIG. 1 shows a block flow chart of a prior art system for inserting aparcel from a sender into a transportation chain.

FIG. 2 shows a block flow chart of a prior art system for shipping,transporting, and attempting to deliver a parcel ordered from a merchantby a customer.

FIG. 3 shows a block flow chart of the movement of a parcel from asender into the transportation chain according to exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show a block flow chart of the movement of a parcel froma merchant through the transportation chain to the recipient accordingto exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a block flow chart of the use of a virtual address by acarrier and the use of capacity optimization for delivery of a parcelaccording to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows a block flow chart of an embodiment of the capacityoptimization of the exemplary shipping and delivery system.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of the routing of a parcel from a sender to arecipient by use of a terminal and carrier according to a prior artpostal system.

FIG. 8 shows a flow chart of the routing of a parcel and relatedshipping information from a sender to a recipient by use of a terminaland carrier according to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of the physical flow of a parcel from a senderto a recipient according to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of the information flow in the transportationof a parcel from a sender to a recipient according to exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 11 shows an entity/relationship diagram illustrating an informationstructure according to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment of a virtual address format.

FIG. 13 shows a block flow chart of an exemplary method for identifying,validating, and authorizing a virtual address, and for converting avirtual address into a physical mailing address.

FIG. 14 shows a component diagram of a computer-based system forshipping and delivering a parcel to a virtual address according to anexemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Referring initially to FIGS. 8 and 14, there is illustrated acomputer-based system for shipping and delivering parcels to arecipient. While exemplary embodiments are described below for providinga parcel to a recipient 806, the system and method of the invention arenot so limited. Embodiments of the invention can be easily extended bypersons of skill in the art, in conjunction with the present descriptionof the invention, to the providing of many diverse items to one or morerecipients 806, said items including without limitation, letters, boxescontaining property, vehicles, animals, and the like.

These and other aspects of the parcel shipping and delivery system andmethod will now be described in greater detail in connection with anumber of exemplary embodiments. To facilitate an understanding of theembodiments, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actionsto be performed by elements of a computer system or apparatus as shownin FIG. 14. It will be recognized that in each of the embodiments, thevarious actions could be performed by specialized circuits, by computerprogram or computer product instructions being executed by one or moreprocessors, or by a combination of both. Moreover, embodiments canadditionally be considered to be embodied entirely within any form ofcomputer readable storage medium having stored therein an appropriateset of computer instructions that would cause a processor to carry outthe techniques, methods, and steps described herein.

FIG. 14 shows a central computer 1400 of the central shipping anddelivery system 810 connected across a network 1410 to one or moreterminals 1420-1432. While six terminals are shown, any number ofterminals can be connected to the central computer 1400. Further, whilean exemplary embodiment considers the terminals communicating with thecentral computer 1400 across a network 1410, any number of knowncommunications systems, including hard-wired connections, local wirelessnetworks, intranets, and the Internet, can be used to providecommunications and the flow of information between the central computer1400 and one or more terminals 1420-1432 without detracting fromexemplary embodiments.

Each of the computers 1400 and 1420-1432 have one or more processors forthe processing of software instructions, for processing inputinformation, for analyzing information, for automatically makingdecisions, and for creating output information. The exemplary computers1400 and 1420-1432 are not limited to traditional desk-top computers orlaptop computers. Processing, communicating, and data transmitting andreceiving functions can be implemented in a number of electronic deviceswithin embodiments covered by the present concepts. For example and notlimitation, one or more of the exemplary computers can comprise cellulartelephones and/or personal digital assistants, including blackberry-typedevices; and the computer users communicate through the computers usingknown electronic user interfaces.

Computer-executable instructions, or software, are provided fordirecting the processing of the computers 1400 and 1420-1432, includingprocessing the steps of exemplary embodiments of the parcel shipping anddelivery system. The computer-executable instructions, when executed bythe computers 1400 and 1420-1432 and/or the processors associated witheach of said computers, provide for the optimized and efficient shipmentand delivery of one or more parcels to a recipient. One or more storagedevices 1402 are provided for storage of information utilized in theshipment and delivery of parcels. The software can be stored on thestorage devices, can be loaded into the memory of the computers, or canbe stored onto separate storage means within the computers. Further, thesoftware can comprise separate programs and sets of instructions or canbe combined into a single program, set of instructions, or programmodule. Means for supporting a computer-based system for shipment anddelivery of parcels to a recipient 806 include the computers 1400 and1420-1432 and their respective processors and storage devices, alongwith the software, or computer instructions, for directing the computersand/or processors to process sender, carrier, and recipient informationand to direct shipment and delivery of a parcel to a recipient 806 basedon the sender 800, carrier 804, and recipient 806 information. Inaddition, communication devices and networks are means for notifying acentral computer 1400, senders 800, carriers 804, and recipients 806with information regarding the shipment and delivery of parcels.Further, locking devices on the doors of drop-boxes provide means forlocking the drop-boxes. Information and records associated with theshipment and delivery of parcels can be recorded on the storage devices1402, displayed on the screens of the computers 1400 and 4120-1432, andoutput, such as on the exemplary printers 1404 and 1434.

The functionality of an embodiment for efficiently shipping anddelivering a parcel to a recipient 806 can be shown with the followingexemplary flow description:

Shipping and Delivering a Parcel to a Recipient:

-   -   Having a parcel with an address to be shipped.        -   Determining if the parcel has a virtual address or a            conventional address.        -   If the parcel has a virtual address, routing the parcel            through the dynamic optimization shipment system.            -   Determine a first carrier and a first estimated time of                arrival (“ETA”).            -   Update the system ETA.            -   Determine intermediate carriers and intermediate ETA's.            -   Determine a final carrier and a final ETA.            -   Determine the delivery node and provide the delivery                node with pick-up authentication information.            -   Deliver the parcel to the delivery node and notify the                system of the delivery.            -   Notify the recipient of the delivery and the location of                the node.            -   The recipient provides the node with authentication                information to obtain the parcel from the node and                obtains the parcel from the node.

An exemplary system comprises a network of controlled, safeguarded,interconnected terminals or nodes together with a central computersystem 810 and a cryptographic identification system to improve theeconomics and perceived quality of service of the first (shipping) andthe last (delivery) segments of the transportation chain extending fromthe sender 800 to the recipient 806 of a parcel. Also included withinthe exemplary embodiments is a method, or process, to ship a parcel froma drop-point connected to a network of drop-points (“network-originated”parcel) and to receive the parcel through a drop-point connected to anetwork of drop-points (“network-terminated” parcel). The methodprovides that all users are provisioned with digital credentials capableof unequivocally identifying each user.

According to exemplary methods, and referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, some ofthe activities performed by senders 700 in prior art shipping systemsare shifted herein to carriers 804 and some of the activities performedby carriers 704 are shifted to recipients 806. The result is lowervariances in the shipment process and in fewer non-value-addedactivities, thereby reducing the total cost of shipping and delivering aparcel to a recipient 806. In particular, the sender 800 does not haveto carry the parcel to a carrier's “shipping point.” Instead, the sender800 reserves one or more boxes at a terminal 802 for shipment and placesthe parcel to be shipped in a reserved box. The sender 800 locks the boxusing a cryptographic mean. The carrier 804 is then notified of thestatus of the terminal 802 and picks up the outbound parcel.Analogously, the transportation chain is concluded not by having thecarrier 804 deliver to the recipient's premises but to instead deliverto a terminal specifically reserved for the receipt of the sender'sparcel. The recipient terminal is then locked using a cryptographic meanand can only be opened by the intended recipient 806 using anothercryptographic mean. Since both end-points are controlled by a centralsystem 810, and their status is known in real-time, there is no variancein the method. For example, parcels can be placed in secured boxes forshipment at any time by a sender 800, and the delivery notification ofthe parcels to the recipient 806 can be effected as soon as the parcelsare secured in the boxes of the terminal.

Reservation of a box in a node is for a limited time only, whether thebox has been reserved to receive a parcel to be shipped or whether thebox has been reserved by the system to hold a parcel until the recipientpicks up the parcel. Removal of the parcel effectively terminates thereservation and renders the box available to the shipping and deliverysystem again. While only one terminal 802 is shown in FIG. 8, and theterminal 802 is shown as part of the sender to carrier leg, acorresponding or same terminal 802 can be utilized by the carrier 804 todeliver the parcel to a secured box for pickup by the recipient 806.Exemplary embodiments provide for terminals 802 being usedinterchangeably and simultaneously as depositories for securing parcelsto be picked up by carriers 804 for shipment and for securing parcelsdelivered by carriers 804 for pickup by recipients 806. Such carrierpickup terminals and recipient pickup terminals can be simultaneouslyreferred to by the element number 802.

Exemplary embodiments introduce an information and processing layerbetween the recipient of a parcel and a legacy, or conventional,delivery infrastructure. The information and processing layer performsfour tasks: (1) it acquires and identifies the virtual address of therecipient, (2) it validates the virtual address, (3) it authorizes thedelivery from the sender to the recipient, and (4) it converts thevirtual address into a physical postal address as specified by therecipient in her user profile.

The virtual address is a combination of a string of alphanumericcharacters univocally associated with each recipient 806, as will bediscussed in more detail in association with FIG. 12. This personalrecipient information can include, but is not limited to, therecipient's first and last name and city of residence and a controlmechanism such as, but not limited to, a hash of the aforementionedinformation or an error correcting code such as the Hamming Code. Usingthe virtual address, exemplary embodiments provide a bridge to thedelivery infrastructure that allows the translation of the virtualaddress into a physical postal address as specified by the recipient806, provides a method for returning the parcel to the sender 800 if thevirtual address is not properly validated or if the sender 800 is notauthorized to receive the parcel, and notifies the sender 800 ofvalidation and authorization errors.

A customer can be either a sender 800 or a recipient 806 or both. Thecustomer becomes a subscription member of the shipping and deliverysystem and is then provisioned with digital identification credentials,optionally in the form of a plastic card or the like. As part of thecustomer initiation, she will create a virtual address and selectpreferences related to their shipping and delivery experience. Oneimportant preference is selecting her desired delivery nodes. She canselect a primary node and multiple alternate nodes. She can also specifythe times and/or days that deliveries are to be made to the primary nodeand when deliveries are to be made to any of the alternate nodes. Thecustomer can update these preferences at any time to respond to hervarying needs, preferences, and locations. The various carriers 804 arealso provisioned with digital credentials to authorize their access tothe shipping and delivery system and to access the boxes of the nodes802.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a exemplary approach toparcel shipping that is in contrast to the legacy, prior art, methodillustrated in FIG. 1. In this case the customer 800 who has a parcel toship begins the process online by contacting the central system 810 atstep 302. While exemplary embodiments provide for the customer/sender800 contacting the central system 810 through a network, such as theInternet and/or a web site, the shipment process can also be initiatedthrough a hard-wired connection to the central system 810 remotely orfrom the terminal 802 location. While connected to the central system180, the sender 800 chooses the shipping options, orders the service,and prints the necessary label to affix to the parcel. She alsoreserves, at step 304, a box at a node convenient to her where she willleave the parcel for subsequent pickup by a carrier 804. In doing so thecustomer interacts with the computerized backend of the central system810. This backend performs a number of specific functions that directlyaffect the shipping process. As shown in step 300, the backend maintainsthe status of each box at every node within a database that can bemaintained on the storage device 1402. This database is queried by thesystem 810 at step 305 to provide the customer 800 a list of availableboxes at a node selected by the customer 800. Once the customer 800selects a particular node from which to ship and selects the number andsize of boxes needed to hold the parcel(s) to be shipped, the system 810then reserves the appropriate boxes at the selected node and updates thereservation state of those boxes in the database. The system 810communicates the customer reservation information to the node at theterminal 802 via a wired or wireless communication channel. The nodewill utilize this information to interact with the customer 800 when shearrives at the node to drop off her parcel. This reservation informationincludes, but is not limited to, the customer's identificationinformation, information on the box to which the customer's shipment hasbeen assigned, the cryptographic keys necessary to validate thecustomer's identity at the node, and the cryptographic keys necessary tounlock the appropriate box when combined with the cryptographic keylocated on the customer's digital credentials.

At step 306 the customer 800 takes the parcel to the node where she hasone or more boxes reserved. She interacts with the node to identifyherself as being authorized to place a parcel in a designated box toenter the box into the shipping and delivery system. For example, thecustomer 800 can use a graphical user interface or some other inputdevice at the node, such as a keypad, biometric scanner, smartcardreader, or the like, and authenticate herself to the node using herelectronic credentials. One embodiment would be using a smartcard as theelectronic credential whereby the smartcard holds the cryptographic keysnecessary to interoperate with the node to unlock the appropriate boxand to digitally sign that the custody of the parcel has beentransferred from the customer 800 to the node.

Once the customer 800 has successfully identified herself at theterminal 802, the reserved boxes unlock, optionally signal to thecustomer 800 their availability, and the customer 800 places theparcel(s) in the designated box(es). The node notifies the backendsystem 810 at step 310 that the parcel has been delivered to the node.At this point the system 810 informs the carrier at step 312 that thereis one or more parcels to be picked up at the given node. In oneembodiment, the customer identification process takes place on thecentral system 810, with customer identification information beingtransmitted to the central system 810 from the node and box accessauthorization information being sent from the central system 810 to theterminal 802 at step 308. In an alternate embodiment, the central system810 can communicate the appropriate customer identification informationto the node as shown in step 308, which then authenticates the customeridentification information entered by the sender 800.

The parcel at this point is locked in a container that has beenphysically and electrically secured and which is monitored fortampering. This allows for a secure chain of custody to be maintainedfor the parcel from the time it is dropped off by the customer 800 tothe time that custody is legally transferred to the carrier 804.

At step 316 the carrier 804 arrives at the node to pick up the parcelfor shipment. The carrier 804 first authenticates its identity to thenode (either using an electronic credential similar to that of thecustomer, or some other means such as a wireless interaction with thecarrier's handheld electronic device). Once the carrier 804 has beenauthenticated to the node the appropriate boxes for this carrier 804 toship are opened, and the carrier 804 removes the parcels at which time(step 320) the system 810 will so be notified by the node and the openedboxes are relocked. The status of the parcels in the database 1402 willbe updated to reflect that the parcels are now in the custody of aspecific carrier, who will enter them into the carrier's legacy routingsystem for parcels.

The aforementioned terminal 802 or node describes a space for receivingthe parcel and for securing the parcel for access by only the carrier804 and/or recipient 806. The terminal 802 can comprise, for example andnot limitation, one or more electronically lockable boxes or lockers ata drop-point in a merchant site such as a grocery store. Alternately,the terminals 802 can be located in convenience stores, gas stations,libraries, building lobbies, and the like, and can be accessible 24hours a day, 7 days a week. An advantage of using terminals is theirclose proximity to the shipper due to being able to deploy the terminalswith greater density than can be done with a retail outlet or a carrierdistribution center. Additionally, the terminal 806 can be a largeshipping container which is sized and configured to be placed on atruck, ship, train, and/or airplane. Further, the terminals can bedesigned to be connected together in modules to increase the number anddensity of boxes at a drop-point location. Each terminal and/or eachmodule can be configured to comprise multiple box sizes. Each suchmodule can be configured to operate and be identified to the centralsystem 810 as a plurality of separate modules or as a single terminal802 or node. The terminals 802 can be unmanned drop-points for thereceipt and distribution of parcels with boxes that are time-sharedrather than being customer-specific.

One embodiment of the drop-point locations can be a grouping ofbox-shaped containers, each having an electronically locking door andeach connected to a number of common control units. The boxes andcontrol units can be modular in nature allowing the setup of eachdrop-point location to be different and meet the needs of the specificlocation. In this embodiment, each box can be controlled by one or moreof the control units. The control units communicate with the centralsystem 810, provide a user interface, and communicate with the boxes tolock and unlock them after receiving the proper cryptographic key. Theuser interface can be a touch screen, digital alphanumeric display, keypad, or other device. The control unit can include a smartcard reader,magnetic card reader, optical scanner, Bluetooth module, or other deviceto read the cryptographic key of the user. The control unit can beconnected to the central computer system 100 across the network 110 oracross other wireless or wired communications means. The user includesthe sender 800, the carrier 804, and the recipient 806, each of whommust successfully identify themselves to the shipping and deliverysystem to gain authorized access to the box space.

Each box can be controlled by one or more control units. While each boxcan be of sufficient size to accommodate common parcel sizes, exemplaryembodiments can apply to container-sized boxes that can accommodateitems as large as a vehicle, or larger. Each box can have anelectronically controllable lock. Each box can, but is not required to,contain a sensing device that senses the presence and identity of theparcel. This sensing device can be in the form of, but is not limitedto, a weight measurement pad, an optical scanner, or a radio frequencyidentification (“RFID”) reader.

Referring now to FIG. 4, comprising FIGS. 4A and 4B, there isillustrated a block flow chart of the shipping and delivery of a parcelaccording to exemplary embodiments. FIG. 4 includes an embodiment wherethe customer has purchased a product online, such as through theInternet, and prefers the purchased product be delivered to herself or athird party recipient 806. In this embodiment, the customer 800 finds,purchases, and pays for the goods online. The customer 800 canoptionally enter virtual address information in place of a postaladdress when prompted by the online merchant for the shipping address.While FIG. 4 is directed to circumstances whereby an online merchant isthe sender 800 in steps 402 and 404, exemplary embodiments performequally well when the sender 800 is not the merchant. In this latterembodiment, the shipment can originate from anywhere outside the networkof nodes.

FIG. 4 also covers the embodiment where the sender 800 delivers theparcel to a node in the network, as was described above regarding FIG.3. When the parcel originates in the network, such as for a longdistance shipment, the parcel is transferred to a carrier 804 at step318, which then transports the parcel according to steps 412-448. Forshort distance network originated shipments, the parcel can betransferred directly from step 318 to the delivery carrier at step 432for delivery to a node per steps 432-448. Circumstances where themerchant delivers a parcel to the node 802 can occur where a customerhas purchased a product at a retail outlet, and the merchant offers tohave the product delivered to a recipient 806, whether the recipient 806is the customer herself or possibly a gift recipient 806.

In the flow shown in FIG. 4, the purchase of a product by a customerover a network, such as the Internet, or at a retail outlet, as shown instep 400, can include address information at step 402, identifying wherethe product should be delivered. The recipient/destination address canbe a conventional address which lists a recipient name, street address,city, state, zip code, and country where the product is to be delivered.By providing a conventional, or legacy, address format, the customer cansignal to the merchant to ship the product according to a conventional,or legacy, delivery system, as shown in step 408. However,notwithstanding the decision process shown in step 406, exemplaryembodiments do provide for the delivery of products to conventionaladdresses according to the steps, monitoring, control, and advantages ofthe shipping and delivery system disclosed herein and discuss below inconjunction with at least FIG. 4. The merchant can provide the parceldirectly to a carrier 804 or can deposit the parcel in a node which iscontrolled and protected by the system 810, as discussed above.

The parcel destination address can, alternately, be a virtual address,as shown in FIG. 12 and as discussed in more detail below. When thecarrier 804 receives a parcel addressed with a virtual address, he canquery the system 810 to translate/compute the virtual address into theaddress of a terminal located near the recipient/destination and,alternately, to register the parcel with the system if the merchant hasnot utilized a shipment terminal 802 to identify the parcel to thesystem 810. Such a query can be accomplished through the interface(s)located at the terminal 802, through a communications link between thecarrier 804 and the central system 810, through a hand-held deviceoperated by the carrier 804, or the like.

Based on the destination terminal address, the carrier 804 canoptionally provide the system 810 with an estimated time of arrival(ETA) for delivery of the parcel to the terminal 802. Also based on thedestination terminal address and the time of carrier pickup, the centralsystem 810 determines the routing of the parcel, including sorting theparcel to a first leg carrier, at step 412. The system 810 alsodetermines and records, at steps 414 and 416, an initial ETA fordelivery of the parcel to the terminal 802. The routing and theestimating of the ETA are accomplished through a dynamic routing andoptimization routine being performed on the central system 810 at step410 and discussed in more detail below in conjunction with FIG. 5.Through steps 418-436 the carrier(s) 804 and central system 810 interactto route the parcel and to estimate & record updated delivery ETA's forthe parcel. In this manner, the parcel can be handled by one or morecarriers 804 for the most efficient and timely routing and delivery ofthe parcel to the recipient 806.

The system 810 receives input from multiple sources, including commentsfrom carriers and weather reports, to be able to route the parcel mostefficiently and around transportation and weather problems. If a singlecarrier picks up the parcel from the terminal 802 and delivers theparcel to a terminal near the recipient 806, then steps 410-436 can bemerged into few steps that eliminate the intermediate carriers 804.Ultimately, at step 432, the parcel is in the hands of the last milecarrier (“LMC”), or the carrier assigned the responsibility ofdelivering the parcel to the destination terminal 802. At step 438, oneor more appropriately-sized boxes at the destination terminal 802 arereserved for receipt of the parcel from the carrier 804, the final nodereservation information being provided to the carrier 804 for deliveryof the parcel to the node at step 440. The node reservation caninitially occur at step 412 in conjunction with the dynamic parcelrouting performed by the central system 810, and the node reservationcan be updated throughout the shipment process so as to maximize theeffectiveness of the shipping and delivery system wherein multipleparcels are competing for box space in the terminals 802. The virtualaddress provides for the dynamic routing of the parcel based on the ETAand/or the options selected by the sender 800. For example, if the ETAis determined by the system 810 to be 10:00 am, the parcel can be routedto a first terminal as specified by the sender 800 through the virtualaddress. If the ETA results in being 2:00 pm, however because of, forexample, transportation problems, the parcel can be automatically routedto a second terminal for pickup by the recipient 806, who is closer tothe second terminal at 2:00 pm than the first terminal. Such a systemalso provides for the sender 800 and/or the recipient 806 to input,prior to shipment and/or prior to delivery, delivery address changes soas to dynamically route the parcel to the recipient 806.

Throughout this process of successive inquiries to system 810, thesystem 810 will use a utilization optimization model, as discussed belowin conjunction with FIGS. 5 and 6, to determine the likelihood that abox will be available at the desired node. When the last mile carrierqueries the system 810, the optimization model will then finalize thebox assignment and communicate with the node at step 442 to reserve abox and provide the node with customer authentication information foraccessing the node.

At this point the last mile carrier delivers the parcel to the node(step 440). Just as the sender 800 was required to identify herself tothe terminal 802, the carrier must authenticate himself to the node withelectronic identification and deliver the parcels to the designatedboxes. The node will unlock only specific boxes to ensure that eachparcel placed in its designated box for subsequent unlocking and accessby specific, authorized recipients. For example, the carrier 804 canscan each parcel with a barcode scanner on the node. As each parcel isscanned and recognized by the system 810, its designated box willunlock. In alternate embodiments, the routine to recognize the parceland unlock the reserved box can process on the central system 810 or ona processor on the node 802. Just as a single shipment can comprisemultiple parcels and multiple boxes, a shipment can comprise multipleparcels to be placed in a single box. The electronic authenticationperformed between the carrier 804 and the node 802 will act as asignature that the custody of the boxes has been transferred from thecarrier 804 to the node 802, which will so notify the system 810 at step444, which in turn notifies the recipient 806 at step 446 that theparcel has been delivered to the terminal 802. The notification to therecipient 806 can be in the form of an email, voicemail, SMS, textmessage, or some other communication to inform the customer 806 that theparcel has arrived and is waiting at a particular node. Once a parcelhas been placed in its reserved box, the box is locked, and the carrier804 can scan the next parcel.

The parcel at this point is locked in a box that has been physically andelectrically secured and which is monitored for tampering. This allowsfor a secure chain of custody to be maintained for the parcel from thetime it enters the system either at a terminal 802 or with a carrier 804to the time that custody is legally and physically transferred to therecipient 806. At step 448, the customer 806 will go to the node 802,authenticate her identity with her digital credentials, which unlocksthe node box door, and retrieve her parcel. At this time, the node willinform the system 810 that custody has been transferred to the customer,and that there is now another unit of available box inventory at thenode.

FIG. 4 also allows for an embodiment where the delivery carrier (LMC) isthe only carrier integrated with the central computer system 810. Inthis case, the sender 800 sends the parcel with the virtual addressembedded within the physical address of the delivery carrier, and theintermediate carriers deliver the parcel to the delivery carrieraccording to a legacy system. In this case only the delivery carrieracts as carrier 804, and the delivery process according to the exemplaryembodiment begins at step 432 and continues through step 448.

Another exemplary case of FIG. 4 involves no carriers. In this case thesender 800 and the recipient 806 agree to use a specific terminal 802 totransfer a parcel. The terminal 802 is reserved by one of the parties,the sender 800 delivers the parcel to the terminal 802. The system 810logs the receipt of the parcel and notifies the recipient 806 that theparcel can be picked up. Finally, the recipient 806 goes to the terminal802 and picks up the parcel. In this case the sender 800 performs steps302-310, the recipient 806 performs step 448, and the central system 810performs steps 300, 305, 308, 420, 438, 442, 444, and 446. While thecentral system 810 does not calculate ETA's in this embodiment, thesystem still monitors terminal inventory, reserves drop-boxes, and sendsnotifications to the sender 800 and the recipient 806. The system 810can also process the financial transaction regarding the parcel transferat the time the sender drops off the parcel at step 306 or when therecipient 806 actually picks up the parcel at step 448.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is illustrated a flow chart of the use ofa virtual address by a carrier 804 and the central system 810 and theuse of a capacity optimization routine for delivery of a parcelaccording to exemplary embodiments. This process begins at step 500 withthe carrier 804 having a virtual address to which to deliver a parcel.The system 810, at step 504, validates and corrects the virtual address(as discussed in more detail in conjunction with FIG. 13), converts thevirtual address into a physical delivery address and/or a leg of theshipment routing, calculates the routing for the parcel, and computes anestimated delivery date and time (“internal ETA”). The routing and ETAof the parcel is continuously updated in step 506 as the system receivesleg delivery information from the carrier 804 and transportation andweather information that can affect delivery of the parcel. Thisreal-time information is available at step 508 for the system 810 toutilize in calculating parcel routing and ETA and for providing theinformation to the carrier 804.

As discussed above, the physical delivery address and the routing of theparcel are dependent on the ETA because the recipient 806 can be at adifferent location at a given date and time. In the simplest case therecipient 806 has only one delivery preference, which is to a nearbynode of unlimited capacity. However, the customer 806 can have multipledelivery preferences depending on the time of week or time of day suchas to a node near the customer's workplace during the week and to a nodenear the customer's residence during the weekend. It is also possiblethat the node is full at the ETA. In this case the parcel must be routedto an alternate node depending on the preferences of the customer 806.Both of these factors are taken into account by the central system 810to provide as accurate as possible a delivery address to the carrier 804given the uncertainty of the ETA at the time of shipment.

In addition to an internal ETA routine, the central system 810 alsoincludes a continuously updated capacity optimization routine, as shownin step 520. This optimization routine uses information about scheduleddeliveries, box availability, customer preferences, and customer historyto determine where and how each parcel should be routed. The overallcustomer 800/806 experience is optimized by minimizing the number oftimes customers 800/806 have parcels delayed or delivered to analternate node instead of their preferred node when there is noavailability at the preferred node.

The physical delivery address and/or routing is transmitted to thecarrier 804 at step 510, who uses the information to determine thecarrier's ETA at step 514 and to transport the parcel to the next stagein the transportation chain. The carrier's ETA can be utilized withinthe carrier's legacy system for carrier planning and routing. Therouting/ETA query will happen repeatedly—each time lowering theuncertainty of the ETA and therefore the delivery address—until theparcel reaches the last mile carrier 804 for the final leg. Note thatthe first carrier 804 can be the last mile carrier 804 in certain cases.In that eventuality, the carrier ETA can be used to finalize the nodeassignment for the parcel.

If the present delivery leg of the parcel delivery route is not thefinal leg, the routing and ETA for the parcel is updated, and the parcelis handed off to the next delivery leg, at steps 504-514. If the parcelis on the final leg, the carrier 804 queries the central system 810 atstep 522 to determine the node 802 and optionally box assignment. Thenode 802 can also have received its assignment and allocationinformation from the central system 810 at step 524. In this manner therequisite box is reserved at the desired node 802 and is awaitingdelivery by the carrier 804. The carrier 804 delivers the parcel to thenode box, and the node 802 informs the central system 810 at step 530the time the parcel was delivered. The delivery information is used atsteps 506, 508, and 520 to reinforce the ETA routine.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is illustrated an exemplary block diagramof the capacity optimization routine. This routine operates to maximizethe customer experience by minimizing the number of times customers'parcels are delayed or sent to alternate nodes when a preferred node isfull. This optimization routine can take the form of a linearprogramming optimization, but is not expressly limited to such a design.The routine is designed to, but is not required to, operate continuouslyso as to constantly input and monitor the operation of the shipping anddelivery system to optimize node and box allocation and assignment andto maximize customer 800/806 preferences and expectations.

As shown in FIG. 6, the capacity optimization has multiple inputs andstages. Customer preferences 602, customer history 604, and a desirednumber of boxes to leave empty for shipping 606 are exemplary inputs tothe assignment, allocation, and optimization routines. For instance, ifa first customer had repeatedly experienced delayed parcel but a secondcustomer had never experienced delays, then it would be worse for aparcel to the first customer to be delayed than it would be for a parcelto the second customer to be delays. Such historical information can beanalyzed and decision variables can be developed by the central system810 to adjust the operation of the optimization routine and control theassignment and allocation of the nodes and boxes. In this example, thesystem 810 uses this historical factor to assign a box to the firstcustomer before assigning a box to the second customer, should only onebox be available at the node. In this manner, the system 810 candetermine which parcels deliver to preferred nodes and which parcels todelay or deliver to alternate nodes. Another variable input to thesystem 810 includes ETA information on all enroute parcels to theirfirst choice destination nodes 600—i.e., the present demand on thesystem.

Based on the inputs, the system 810 makes a preliminary node allocationand assignment at step 608. Objective functions and constraints 612 arethen applied to the assignment to optimize the allocation of nodes andboxes, as shown in step 614. An objective function represents a goal ofthe optimization process and can be used to weight the effect of theinputs to the process. For example, an exemplary objective function canbe to add all of the parcels that are delayed or delivered to analternate node under a given allocation. If a first set of optimizationdecisions produces a higher sum of such delays and alternate deliveriesthan does a second set, then the first set is viewed as being worsebecause it produces more delays and deliveries to alternate nodes, whichis viewed as bad by the customer 800/804.

Another constraint to the allocation and assignment process is thenumber of available boxes for each node 610. The allocation decisionprocess limits the allocation of boxes in each node according to thepresent node inventory. As nodes and boxes are added to the system andas nodes and boxes are unavailable for any reason, this inventory isconstantly updated. The constraints act to modify the decisions madeduring the optimization and allocation processes.

Once the objective functions are formed and the constraints are input,the allocation and assignment process can be optimized mathematically todetermine a set of decision variables that produces the most favorableassignment and reassignment of nodes and boxes. In one case, it would bethe set of decision variables that results in the smallest number ofsecondary node assignments and the maximum number of box allocations pernode. There are various mathematical routines and algorithms fordetermining this set of optimal decision variables, and a discussion ofthese methods is outside the scope of this patent, although thisembodiment describes a Linear Programming method.

Some optimization methods can have uncertainty built into theiralgorithms. In recognition of such a mathematical element, the presentsystem has a final element that is added to the result of theoptimization function to quantify the effects of uncertainty. One way toaccomplish this is to disturb 616 the objective optimization function ina way that represents uncertainties in the actual shipping and deliveryprocess. For example, the likelihood of a carrier's delivery truckhaving a flat tire can be provided in step 616 to improve the certaintyof the optimization process. By running the optimization processmultiple times as shown in FIG. 6, the optimal set of decision inputswill vary with the uncertainty. From the resulting set of optimalsolutions, the optimization/allocation solution that is produced mostfrequently or that is least susceptible to uncertainty can be chosen asthe best optimal solution given the known uncertainty. Finally, theoutput 618 of this process is the optimal set of decisions given thecurrent constraints and given uncertainty in the process. Thesedecisions are then used to route parcels and allocate & assign nodes andboxes.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a block flow chart of aconventional, or legacy, prior art method for shipping a parcel by asender 700 and delivering the parcel to a recipient 706, by dropping theparcel off at a terminal 702 and having a carrier 704 pick up the parcelat the terminal for delivery to the recipient. In an exemplaryembodiment of the present system, as shown in FIG. 8, a sender, 800,connects to central system 810 and requests a parcel pick-up. The sender800 is then assigned a specific drop-point, and optionally a drop-box atthe drop-point, among a network of drop-points available through thecentral system 810 to be used to deposit the parcel. The central system810, at this time, can require the sender 800 to specify the recipient'saddress or unique identifier. In another embodiment, the sender 800 canconnect to the central system 810 from a sender-selected drop-point andrequest a pick-up. In response, the central system 810 assigns thesender 800 a box at the drop-point location. In either embodiment, thesender 800 receives from the central system 810 information necessary toaccess the assigned drop-box or, alternately, provides uniquesender-related information for identifying herself to the central system810.

The assigned drop-box is connected to the central system 810 andreceives from the central system 810 an electronic locking key 812 via awired or wireless data connection or other means. Only the intendedsender 800 possesses the information or token or biometric profile orcombination thereof needed to decode the locking key 812. In oneembodiment, the locking key 812 is the recipient's public key generatedby asymmetric cryptography methods; however, other digital keys can beused. The locking key 812 can be further encoded using digital keysissued to one or more carriers 804. In this manner, only the intendedsender 800 can open the reserved drop-box and place her parcel inside.

The sender 800 brings the parcel to the reserved drop-point 802 in thedrop-point network. The sender 800 holds a digital key 814 capable ofunlocking the drop-box as well as generating a digital signatureequivalent to conventional handwritten signature. The unlocking key 812can be stored in a card (magnetic, microchip, smart, active, or othertypes of cards) or other devices capable of storing digital information.The sender 800 uses the unlocking key 814 as a proof of entitlement toplace the parcel inside the drop-box. The sender 800 can designate otherusers of the system 810 to act on her behalf.

After the parcel has been delivered to the drop-box by the sender 800,the drop-box automatically locks using the digital key 812 previouslydelivered by the central system 810 or the one provided by the sender814. The central system 810 acknowledges to the sender 800 that theterminal 802 has been properly locked and that the parcel has beenreceived by the network for pick-up. The central system 810 thennotifies the carrier 804 that a parcel is ready for pick-up in the formof a pick-up request notification 816 across the network/system 810. Thecarrier 804 receives the notification and goes to the terminal 802 topick-up the parcel. The carrier 804 holds a digital unlocking key 818capable of opening the drop-box as well of generating a digitalsignature equivalent to conventional handwritten signature. The carrier804 uses the unlocking key 818 as a proof that it is entitled to pick-upthe parcel.

The central system 810 can notify the sender 800 and/or the recipient806 that the parcel has been picked-up from the drop-box by the carrier804. The carrier 804 then delivers the parcel to the recipient 806through conventional delivery systems (such as the postal system) oraccording to exemplary parcel delivery embodiments described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown the flow of delivering anetwork-terminated parcel to its recipient 806 through the usage of aconnected drop-point 900 being part of a network of drop-points 900according to exemplary embodiments. The sender 800 of the parceladdresses a parcel using a form of unique identifier of the recipient806, such as the recipient's “virtual address”, or the recipient'sphysical postal address. The carrier 804 receives the parcel from thesender 800 through conventional pick-up systems (such as the existingpostal system), or by using the drop-location/drop-box system accordingto exemplary embodiments.

If a traditional postal address is used, the postal address willidentify the drop-point. If a “virtual address” is used, the carrier 804queries the central system 810 by providing an identifier univocallyidentifying the recipient 806 through the lookup “virtual address”method. The central system 810 returns either a delivery address 1002,based on user's delivery preferences 1004 or an error message. Thecentral system 810 can notify the recipient 806 that a parcel is beingprocessed at the carrier's warehouse and is going to be delivered to herpreferred drop-point 900. If the central system 810 returns an errormessage, the parcel is returned to the sender 800.

If a traditional recipient postal address is used, or if the centralsystem 810 returns a delivery address 1002, the carrier 804 delivers theparcel accordingly. According to exemplary embodiments, the deliveryaddress 1002 corresponds to a drop-point 900 in a network of controlled,safeguarded, interconnected terminals for the delivery of parcels. Thedesignated drop-box 900 is connected to a central system 810 andreceives from the central system 810 an electronic locking key 1006across the network via a wired or wireless data connection or othermeans. Only the intended recipient 806 possesses the information, token,biometric profile, or combination thereof needed to decode the lockingkey 1006. In one embodiment, the locking key 1006 is the recipient'spublic key generated by asymmetric cryptography methods, but other formsof digital keys can be used. The locking key 1006 can be further encodedusing digital keys issued to the carrier 804. After the parcel has beendelivered to the drop-box 900 by the carrier 804, the drop-box 900automatically locks using the digital key previously delivered by thecentral system 810, whether provided from the central system 810 or fromthe sender 800 through the central system 810.

After the parcel has been delivered to the drop-box 900, the centralsystem 810 notifies the recipient 806 that the parcel is available forpick-up at the selected drop-point 900. The recipient 806 receives thenotification and goes to the drop-point 900 to pick up the parcel. Therecipient holds a digital key 1008 capable of unlocking the drop-box 900as well as generating a digital signature equivalent to conventionalhandwritten signature. The unlocking key 1008 can be stored in a card(magnetic, microchip, smart, active or other types of cards) or otherdevices able to store digital information. The recipient 806 uses theunlocking key 1008 as a proof of entitlement to pickup the parcel. Therecipient 806 can designate other users of the system 810 to pickup onher behalf.

The virtual address can be implemented with computer software on thecentral computer system 810. FIG. 11 shows the entity-relationshipstructure of a database representing one possible embodiment of theinformation structure part of the present system. In one embodiment, asystem and method selects records from the following tables of adatabase: a recipients table 1102, a senders table 1108, an addresstable 1106, a delivery options table 1100, and a black-list table 1104.Referring to table 1102, the recipients table contains rows, with eachrow containing a unique user identifier, a username, a PIN or password,and additional user information. In one embodiment, additional userinformation can contain e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, instantmessaging identifiers, or other user details. The user identifier can bea variable-length alphanumeric string that is unique for each user 806.

Referring to table 1100, each user 806 can specify one or more deliveryoptions. One postal address corresponds to each delivery option. Oneembodiment stores delivery options and postal addresses in two distinctdatabase tables to allow for better normalization of the information.The same information can be de-normalized and stored in a single tablefor greater speed. Each row in the table represents a delivery optionand contains a unique identifier of the user who specified this deliveryoption and the identifier of the postal address identifier correspondingto this delivery option, and a Boolean (i.e. true or false or singlebit) indicator/flag that identifies the delivery option currentlyselected as “active” by the user 806.

Referring to table 1106, each row in the table represents a postaladdress identified by an index. In one embodiment, the address data caninclude the recipient name and/or apartment, one or more address lines,city, state, province, zip code, and a country identifier.

Each user 806 can authorize specific senders (a.k.a. “white-list”) orblock specific senders 800 (a.k.a. “black-list”). In the case of awhite-list, only authorized senders 800 (those on the “white-list”) cantranslate the “virtual address” into the currently active deliveryoption and its corresponding address. In case of a “black-list”, allsenders 800 except those included in the list can translate the “virtualaddress” into the currently active delivery option and its correspondingaddress. Referring to table 1104, one embodiment comprises a black-liststored in a separate database table. Each row of the table is identifiedby an index/entry id and specifies that the user identified in the userid row/field does not authorize sender 800 identified in the sender idrow/field. Referring to table 1108, one embodiment stores additionalinformation about each sender 800 such as a name, contact information,e-mail address, or other data.

Another added benefit of the present virtual address system is allowinga customer to maintain their own privacy with regard to their address.It also allows re-routing of parcels that are in transit as well asallowing customers 806 to set up delivery preferences without having tochange addresses. For instance if the customer 806 wanted to have aparcel delivered to her apartment building on Saturday but to her officebuilding during the week, she need only give out her virtual address andset the preferences of that address so that the parcel is routedaccordingly.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the virtual address contains the followingelements: a user name field 1200, an arbitrary alphanumeric string 1202,an alphanumeric code 1204 uniquely identifying the user, a form of errorcorrection code 1206, and optional additional user information, 1208. Inone embodiment, the user name field 1200 corresponds to theconcatenation of the appellative title for the user 806, the user'sfirst name, and the user's last name. The arbitrary alphanumeric string1202 is any combination of characters, including no character. Thealphanumeric code 1204 identifying the user 806 can be amachine-generated numeric code. The error correction code 1206 can be achecksum digit of fields 1200, 1204, and 1202. The additional userinformation 1208 is the concatenation of the city, zip code, state, andcountry associated with the user profile. In this embodiment, elementsof the virtual address can be associated with fields present in the usertable 1102, described in the information structure presented above inFIG. 11. The relationship between the various components of the virtualaddress is used in the method presented above and portrayed in FIG. 12to enable and improve the efficacy of the virtual address translationinto the correct postal address. The virtual address is known to thesender 800 and is inscribed on the mail piece in either human readableform or machine readable form or both.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is shown an exemplary method toidentify, validate, and authorize a virtual address, and to convert thevirtual address into a physical postal address. The method is designedto be integrated with both conventional delivery infrastructures andexemplary delivery methods disclosed herein. The method hereby describedis provided with the following input: a destination address (can beeither a postal address or a virtual address) and a sender 800. Inaddition, the method has access to the information structure describedabove regarding FIG. 11.

In the first step 1302, the method acquires the destination address andparses it. If the address is recognized as a conventional postaladdress, then the mail piece/parcel is handed off to conventionaldelivery methods and infrastructure in step 1304. Conversely, if theaddress is recognized as a virtual address, then the address isvalidated as described below. In one embodiment, a system and methodacquires and identifies a virtual address using a machine-readableformat such as, but not limited to, barcodes. In another embodiment, thepostal or virtual address is inserted manually by a human operator. Inyet another embodiment, the postal or virtual address is identified byother automatic or manual systems and methods.

Address validation can be accomplished through several embodiments, asdiscussed below. A verification step 1306 provides for the virtualaddress being checked using the implemented error correction code (asdescribed above) to ensure that the virtual address is formally correct.If the provided virtual address is correct, the method proceeds to thelookup step 1312 described below. Conversely, if the virtual address isfound to be formally defective, the method attempts to correct it usinga variety of procedural and heuristic techniques at step 1308. If suchcorrective method fails, the mail piece is returned to the sender 800 atstep 1310. In another embodiment, data in virtual addresses are notencoded using error correcting codes, and the virtual address is passedto the lookup step 1312 without the error correction steps 1306 and1308.

Once a virtual address has been acquired at step 1302 and properlyvalidated at step 1306, the virtual address is checked against the usertable (table 1102 in the structure described in FIG. 11 above). In oneembodiment, only the unique user identifier enclosed in the virtualaddress is utilized for this purpose. In another embodiment, additionalinformation included in the virtual address can be used in order tosimplify or strengthen the identification of a corresponding userprofile. Should no matching user profile be found, the mail piece isreturned to the sender at step 1310. Conversely, if a corresponding userprofile is found, the method proceeds to the consistency validation step1314.

Under the consistency validation step 1314, the data contained in thevirtual address is checked against the data contained in the userprofile identified in the lookup step 1312. In one embodiment, name, zipcode, city, state, and country are contained in the virtual address andare checked against the corresponding information in the user profile.If the data in virtual address is consistent with the data stored in theuser profile, then the method proceeds to the black-list authorizationstep 1320. Otherwise, the method notifies the user 806 at step 1316 witha request for corrective action regarding the inconsistent data. In oneembodiment, such notification is sent across the network via electronicmail or instant messaging or other electronic communication channels bythe computer system 810. In another embodiment, such notification isperformed by a human operator through a phone call or others means ofcommunication. In one embodiment, the user 806 can perform correctiveactions on her profile using an Internet website or by calling a humanoperator who will perform such actions on the user's behalf. Ifcorrective actions are taken within an allotted amount of time 1316,then the method proceeds to the black-list authorization step 1320.Otherwise, a failure message is sent to the user 806 at step 1318, andthe mail-piece is returned to the sender 800 at step 1310. In oneembodiment, the failure message is sent via electronic mail, instantmessaging or other electronic communication channels by a computersystem 1400, but other automatic or manual systems and methods can beused. In another embodiment, step 1316 can be omitted entirely.

In one embodiment, the method matches the sender identifier, given asinput, and the user identifier, derived from the virtual address at step1312. The resulting combination is checked against the black-list table1104, and delivery is authorized at step 1322 only if a correspondingpair is not found. Conversely, if the pair is found in the blacklisttable 1104, the user 806 is notified at step 1318; and the mail piece ishanded off for return to the sender 800 at step 1310. In one embodiment,the failure message is sent via electronic mail, instant messaging orother electronic communication channels by a computer system 1400, butother automatic or manual systems and methods can be used.

The last step in the method is fetching the preferred delivery addressat step 1322. In one embodiment, the method uses the information in theuser profile 1102, fetched in the lookup step 1312 to derive thepreferred delivery address by joining the delivery option table 1100 andthe address table 1106. Such resulting postal address is then returnedto the postal system and can be used to instruct the transportation ofthe mail piece.

The described system, processes, and methods include and implement thetechnical aspects and considerations of thecomputer/processor/network-based system and devices described herein andin the figures, whereby the unique processing, decision-making,information gathering and recording and transmission, and communicationsof exemplary embodiments work together for the effective shipment anddelivery of parcels by senders to the virtual addresses of recipients.Accordingly, exemplary systems and methods as described herein provide atangible and technical effect of securing, transporting, and deliveringparcels from credentialed senders to authenticated recipients, based onthe virtual address provided by the recipients and the optimizedrouting, allocation, and assignment of a central shipping and deliverysystem.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art thatchanges can be made in these embodiments without departing from theprinciple and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined inthe appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A computer-based method for shipping and delivering a parcel,comprising: receiving a parcel, the parcel having a virtual deliveryaddress of a recipient comprising a user identifier, which comprises analphanumeric string, and at least one of a recipient name and physicaladdress data; converting, through a central computer system, using theuser identifier, the virtual address into a postal address specified bythe recipient; delivering the parcel to a destination corresponding tothe postal address; and checking the recipient name or physical addressdata contained in the virtual delivery address on the parcel againstdata contained in a user profile and, if the data in the virtualdelivery address is not consistent with the data stored in the userprofile, notifying a user with a request for corrective action.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising notifying the recipientof the delivery of the parcel.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thedestination is a terminal drop-box, further comprising unlocking thedrop-box only upon verifying the recipient's identity.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the parcel is received in a terminal, furthercomprising reserving a terminal for the parcel.
 5. A computer-basedmethod for shipping and delivering a parcel, comprising: receiving aparcel, the parcel having a virtual delivery address of a recipient;converting, through a central computer system, the virtual address intoa postal address specified by the recipient; delivering the parcel to adestination corresponding to the postal address; wherein the parcel istransported to a preferred delivery address based on the virtual addressof the parcel, the transportation routing of the parcel is based on thevirtual address of the parcel, an estimated time of arrival of thepackage is determined by a central computer system, and the preferreddelivery address is based on the estimated time of arrival of thepackage, wherein the routing, estimated time of arrival, and deliveryaddress are continuously updated in two or more ways selected from thefollowing group: as the central computer system receives leg deliveryinformation; as the central computer system receives transportationinformation; as the central computer system receives weatherinformation; and based on a capacity optimization routine.
 6. The methodof claim 5, further comprising notifying the recipient of the deliveryof the parcel.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the destination is aterminal drop-box, further comprising unlocking the drop-box only uponverifying the recipient's identity.
 8. The method of claim 5, whereinthe parcel is received in a terminal, further comprising reserving aterminal for the parcel.
 9. A computer-based method for shipping anddelivering a parcel, comprising: receiving a parcel, the parcel having avirtual delivery address of a recipient, wherein the virtual deliveryaddress comprises a user name field, an arbitrary alphanumeric string,an alphanumeric code uniquely identifying the user, and a form of errorcorrection code; converting, through a central computer system, usingthe alphanumeric code, the virtual address into a postal addressspecified by the recipient; and delivering the parcel to a destinationcorresponding to the postal address.
 10. The method according to claim9, wherein the virtual delivery address further comprises additionaluser information.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprisingnotifying the recipient of the delivery of the parcel.
 12. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the destination is a terminal drop-box, furthercomprising unlocking the drop-box only upon verifying the recipient'sidentity.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the parcel is received in aterminal, further comprising reserving a terminal for the parcel.
 14. Acomputer-based method for shipping and delivering a parcel, comprising:receiving, at a central computer system, a virtual delivery address of arecipient comprising a user identifier, which comprises an alphanumericstring, and at least one of a recipient name and physical address data;converting, through the central computer system, using the useridentifier, the virtual address into a postal address specified by therecipient; transmitting a destination corresponding to the postaladdress; and checking the recipient name or physical address datacontained in the virtual delivery address on the parcel, using thecentral computer system, against data contained in a user profile and,if the data in the virtual address is not consistent with the datastored in the user profile, notifying a user with a request forcorrective action.
 15. The computer-based method for shipping anddelivering a parcel of claim 14, further comprising determining a userprofile corresponding to the virtual delivery address by using a useridentifier enclosed in the virtual address, and user name or addressinformation included in the virtual address, to check the virtualaddress against a user table.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising notifying the recipient of the delivery of the parcel. 17.The method of claim 15, wherein the destination is a terminal drop-box,further comprising unlocking the drop-box only upon verifying therecipient's identity.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the parcel isreceived in a terminal, further comprising reserving a terminal for theparcel.
 19. The computer-based method for shipping and delivering aparcel of claim 14, further comprising: checking the virtual address,through the central computer system, using an error correction codeportion of the virtual address to ensure that the virtual address isformally correct.
 20. The method according to claim 19, furthercomprising attempting to correct virtual address when finding it to beformally defective.
 21. The method of claim 19, further comprisingreserving a terminal for a parcel.
 22. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising notifying the recipient of delivery of the parcel, andunlocking a drop-box only upon verifying the recipient's identity. 23.The method of claim 14, further comprising reserving a terminal for aparcel.
 24. A method of claim 14, further comprising notifying the therecipient of delivery of the parcel, and unlocking a drop-box only uponverifying the recipient's identity.
 25. A computer system encoded withcomputer software, which, when executed by a computer, provide for theshipment and delivery of a parcel, wherein the computer software isprovided for: receiving a parcel, the parcel having a virtual deliveryaddress of a recipient; converting the virtual address into a preferreddelivery postal address specified by the recipient; instructing thetransportation of the parcel to the delivery postal address; basingtransportation routing of the parcel on the virtual address of theparcel; determining an estimated time of arrival of the package, whereinthe preferred delivery address is based on the estimated time of arrivalof the package; and continuously updating the routing, estimated time ofarrival, and delivery postal address in two or more ways selected fromthe following group: as the central computer system receives legdelivery information; as the central computer system receivestransportation information; as the central computer system receivesweather information; and based on a capacity optimization routine. 26.The method of claim 25, wherein the software is further provided forreserving a terminal for a parcel and notifying a carrier that theparcel has been placed in the terminal.
 27. The system of claim 25,wherein the delivery postal address is for a destination drop-box andwherein the software is further provided for notifying the recipient ofthe delivery of the parcel to the destination terminal drop-box andunlocking the destination drop-box only upon verifying the recipient'sidentity.
 28. A computer-based method for shipping and delivering aparcel, comprising: receiving, at a central computer system, a virtualdelivery address of a recipient comprising a user identifier, whichcomprises an alphanumeric string, and at least one of a recipient nameand physical address data; converting, through the central computersystem, using the user identifier, the virtual address into a postaladdress specified by the recipient; transmitting a destinationcorresponding to the postal address; and using the user identifierenclosed in the virtual address, and the recipient name or physicaladdress information included in the virtual address, to check thevirtual address against a user table.
 29. The computer-based method forshipping and delivering a parcel of claim 28, further comprisingchecking the virtual address using an error correction code portion ofthe virtual address to ensure that the virtual address is formallycorrect.
 30. The method according to claim 29, further comprisingattempting to correct the virtual address when finding it to be formallydefective.
 31. The method of claim 29, further comprising notifying therecipient of the delivery of the parcel.
 32. The system of claim 31,wherein the postal address is for a destination terminal drop-box,further comprising means for notifying the recipient of the delivery ofthe parcel to the destination terminal drop-box and means for unlockingthe destination drop-box only upon verifying the recipient's identity.33. The method of claim 29, wherein the destination is a terminaldrop-box, further comprising unlocking the drop-box only upon verifyingthe recipient's identity.
 34. The method of claim 29, wherein the parcelis received in a terminal, further comprising reserving a terminal forthe parcel.
 35. The computer-based method for shipping and delivering aparcel of claim 28, further comprising matching a sender identifiercorresponding to a specific sender and user identifier derived from thevirtual address against a black-list table and when a corresponding pairis found on the black-list table, returning the mail to the sender andnotifying the recipient.
 36. The method of claim 35, further comprisingnotifying the recipient of the delivery of the parcel.
 37. The method ofclaim 35, wherein the destination is a terminal drop-box, furthercomprising unlocking the drop-box only upon verifying the recipient'sidentity.
 38. The method of claim 35, wherein the parcel is received ina terminal, further comprising reserving a terminal for the parcel. 39.The computer-based method for shipping and delivering a parcel of claim28, wherein the virtual delivery address comprises a user name field, anarbitrary alphanumeric string, an alphanumeric code uniquely identifyingthe user, and a form of error correction code.
 40. The method of claim39, wherein the virtual delivery address further comprises additionaluser address or name information.
 41. The method of claim 39, furthercomprising reserving a terminal for a parcel.
 42. The method of claim39, further comprising notifying the recipient of delivery of theparcel, and unlocking a drop-box only upon verifying the recipient'sidentity.
 43. The method of claim 28, further comprising reserving aterminal for a parcel.
 44. The method of claim 28, further comprisingnotifying the recipient of delivery of the parcel, and unlocking adrop-box only upon verifying the recipient's identity.
 45. Acomputer-based method for shipping and delivering a parcel, comprising:receiving, at a central computer system, a virtual delivery address of arecipient; converting, through the central computer system, the virtualaddress into a postal address specified by the recipient; andtransmitting a destination corresponding to the postal address; whereina preferred delivery address is based on the virtual address of theparcel, the transportation routing of the parcel is based on the virtualaddress of the parcel, an estimated time of arrival of the package isdetermined by the central computer system, and the preferred deliveryaddress is based on the estimated time of arrival of the package,wherein the routing, estimated time of arrival, and delivery address arecontinuously updated on two or more basis selected from the followinggroup: as the central computer system receives leg delivery information;as the central computer system receives transportation information; asthe central computer system receives weather information; and based on acapacity optimization routine.
 46. The method of claim 45, furthercomprising reserving a terminal for a parcel.
 47. The method of claim45, further comprising notifying the recipient of delivery of theparcel, and unlocking a drop-box only upon verifying the recipient'sidentity.